Our BoT for March shows ‘robust sales’ Our Barometer of Trade (BoT) for March out today shows members recorded ‘robust sales’ and a positive year‑to‑date performance (April 21, 2026). The food hall/farm shop category topped the figures at +5.37%, followed by catering at +3.89% when compared with the same month in 2025. Variable weather Peter…
Members – join our business rates & lobbying government webinar We’re hosting a free members’ webinar examining the latest changes to business rates and the industry’s ongoing engagement with the Government. The session on April 24 at 3pm will provide insight into the financial pressures facing garden centres and associates and highlight current lobbying efforts…
GROW’s new cyber security course launched as e‑learning platform hits 99‑courses Today we’ve unveiled a new cyber security course on our award‑winning Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e‑learning platform (March 30, 2026). This marks the 99th course to be added to GROW, which is accessible to both our members and those in the Horticultural Trades…
We are delighted to invite you to our new GCA Study Tours 2026, which are being held on Tuesday, 12th and Wednesday, 13th May 2026. Members are welcome to join one or both tours. Full details here: https://gca.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GCA-Study-Tours-May-2026.pdf We look forward to an enjoyable few days exploring how garden centres across the country bring the…
Our Barometer of Trade (BoT) February figures released today show a ‘very encouraging month’ despite the ‘poor weather’ (March 20, 2026). More than two thirds of the categories recorded by our garden centre members, were up when compared to the same month in 2025 with clothing recording +10.48% %, followed by food hall/farm shop in…
Inspiring the next generation Following our fantastic webinar last Tuesday featuring inspiring presentations from Neil Grant for the Horticultural Trades’ Association (HTA), The Children’s Gardening Coach, Lee Connelly and Linda Petrons from Greenfingers – we’re delighted to share a wonderful opportunity exclusively for our garden centre members. A lifelong love of gardening The session highlighted…
Mark joins as inspector as applicants soar Horticultural Business Consultant Mark Pitman was selected from a record‑breaking number of applicants to secure the role as our new Garden Centre Inspector this month (March 2026). Mark, an accomplished leader from horticulture and wildlife sectors, brings more than four decades of experience from his operational management, retail…
Garden centres are the retail genre of the moment Mary Portas OBE, business strategist, broadcaster, author, and activist, brought her retail insight to the 2026 Garden Centre Association (GCA) annual conference, says Petra Hoyer Millar in The Dirt. Credited with transforming Harvey Nichols into a leading fashion destination, Mary Portas is a recognised authority on retail and…
Free member webinar on garden centre events featuring celebrity gardener Lee Connelly We’re inviting members to a free webinar entitled ‘Engaging Events for Your Garden Centre’ next Tuesday, March 10 at 3pm. The session will be hosted by our CEO, Peter, and will showcase a trio of inspiring speakers who will share practical and creative…
Member garden centres report a ‘very good’ start to the year Our Barometer of Trade (BoT) figures for January are out today and they reveal a ‘very good’ start to the year despite the wet weather (February 26, 2026). From the 13 categories member garden centres record, 10 were up when compared to January 2025…